Portable mobile subscription

Abstract

A network services provider grants a subscription to a user for use of mobile network services to communicate voice, data, and text information with a specific mobile device. Mobile devices store one or more subscriptions, each of which may be activated. An activated subscription stored in the mobile device is now made portable. The user wants to pass the portable subscription from a first mobile device to a second mobile device. The user forms a first communicative relationship between the first mobile device and a second mobile device and receives from the second mobile device identification information associated with the second mobile device. The first mobile device passes the identification information to the network services provider and receives a confirmation. The user forms a second communicative relationship between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, and the second mobile device confirms activation of the portable subscription.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method to share a subscription for mobile network service between a first mobile device and a second mobile device, the subscription associated with a set of subscriber services provided by a network services provider, the subscription activated in the first mobile device, the method comprising:
 forming a first communicative relationship between the first mobile device and the second mobile device; 
 wirelessly receiving at the first mobile device from the second mobile device, identification information associated with the second mobile device; 
 passing the identification information associated with the second mobile device and a deactivation request from the first mobile device to the network services provider; 
 receiving at the first mobile device from the network services provider, confirmation that access to the subscription will be deactivated; 
 receiving at the first mobile device from the network services provider activation information associated with the second mobile device, wherein the activation information includes at least one challenge value formed by the network services provider using at least some of the identification information associated with the second mobile device; 
 forming a second communicative relationship between the first mobile device and the second mobile device; 
 passing the at least one challenge value from the first mobile device to the second mobile device via the second communicative relationship; 
 wirelessly communicating the activation information associated with the second mobile device from the first mobile device to the second mobile device; and 
 confirming activation of the subscription in the second mobile device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of subscriber services includes communication of at least one of voice information, data, or text messages. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second mobile devices are in a master slave relationship and the first mobile device is a master. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subscription includes information stored in the first mobile device on a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device is a smartphone and the second mobile device is at least one of a smart watch, a portable media device, a smart device integrated in a motor vehicle, and a second smartphone. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first communicative relationship and the second communicative relationship are formed as near field communication (NFC) communicative relationships. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first communicative relationship and the second communicative relationship provide an indication to a user that the subscription is being transferred. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identification information associated with the second mobile device is at least one of an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID), an International mobile subscriber or station identity (IMSI), and a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (MSISDN). 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 performing an algorithm at the second mobile device using at least some of the activation information associated with the second mobile device to produce an authentication result; and 
 passing the authentication result and an activation request from the second mobile device to the network services provider. 
 
     
     
       10. A mobile network operator (MNO) system, comprising:
 an MNO communication device, the MNO communication device arranged to communicate with a first mobile device and a second mobile device wherein communicated information includes:
 a deactivation request from the first mobile device, the deactivation request associated with transfer of a portable subscription from the first mobile device to the second mobile device, the portable subscription associated with a set of subscriber services provided by the MNO; 
 identification information associated with the second mobile device; 
 confirmation information to the first mobile device indicating that the portable subscription will be deactivated at the first mobile device; 
 activation information associated with the second mobile device, wherein the activation information includes authentication challenge information to the first mobile device for the second mobile device, the authentication challenge information formed using the identification information associated with the second mobile device; 
 an activation request from the first mobile device and for the second mobile device, the activation request associated with transfer of the portable subscription from the first mobile device to the second mobile device, the activation request including authentication result information from the first mobile device and for the second mobile device formed using the authentication challenge information; and 
 confirmation information to the second mobile device indicating that the portable subscription will be activated at the second mobile device. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The MNO system of  claim 10 , wherein the identification information associated with the second mobile device is at least one of an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID), an International mobile subscriber or station identity (IMSI), and a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (MSISDN). 
     
     
       12. The MNO system of  claim 10 , wherein the communicated information includes:
 confirmation information to the first mobile device indicating that the portable subscription will be deactivated at the first mobile device and activated at the second mobile device. 
 
     
     
       13. The MNO system of  claim 10 , wherein the communicated information includes:
 data communicated from the second mobile device through the MNO system to another mobile device. 
 
     
     
       14. The MNO system of  claim 10 , wherein after the portable subscription is transferred from the first mobile device to the second mobile device, the first mobile device is only enabled to access emergency services of the MNO system. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose stored contents configure a mobile device to perform a method, the method comprising:
 transferring a portable subscription from a first mobile device to a second mobile device, the portable subscription associated with a set of subscriber services provided by a network services provider, the portable subscription including portability information stored in a security module of the first mobile device, wherein transferring the portable subscription requires receiving at the first mobile device from the network services provider activation information associated with the second mobile device, the activation information including at least one challenge value formed by the network services provider using at least some identification information associated with the second mobile device, and wherein transferring the portable subscription further requires wirelessly passing the at least one challenge value from the first mobile device to the second mobile device. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 15  whose stored contents configure the mobile device to perform the method, the method further comprising:
 forming a first communicative relationship between the first mobile device and a second mobile device; 
 wirelessly receiving at the first mobile device from the second mobile device, identification information associated with the second mobile device; and 
 passing the identification information associated with the second mobile device to the network services provider. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 16  whose stored contents configure the mobile device to perform the method, the method further comprising:
 forming a second communicative relationship between the first mobile device and the second mobile device; 
 wirelessly communicating activation information associated with the second mobile device from the first mobile device to the second mobile device; and 
 confirming de-activation of the portable subscription in the first mobile device. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 15  wherein the first mobile device is a smartphone. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 15  wherein the security module is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.